Exposure Digital Field Guide E-Book

Alan Hess

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Serie: Digital Field Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 364

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

Secrets of exposure revealed, with a bonus color checker card included Exposure is the number one topic that digital photographers want to know about. This full-color book fits in your camera bag and provides all the information you need on this very important aspect of digital photography. Exposure involves combining ISO, aperture, and shutter speed in different variations to accomplish your vision of the perfect image. Exposure Digital Field Guide takes you through the complex techniques of good exposure, taking you from hobbyist to serious amateur photographer. * Explains how to adjust shutter speed and aperture to control the amount of light hitting the camera's light sensor * Teaches you how to "see the light" for the perfect exposure * Helps you gain confidence as you move from automatic controls into manipulating the elements of exposure for specific results * Packed with stunning full-color photographs to illustrate what you can achieve * Provides suggested settings for various shooting situations and subjects * Includes a tear-out color checker card to help you maintain true color * Fits in your camera bag for ready reference in the field Exposure Digital Field Guide helps you master one of the most complex and intricate elements of digital photography.

Leseprobe

Exposure Digital Field Guide®

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Understanding Exposure

Defining Exposure

Stop

Exposure value

Equivalent Exposures

Exposure Modes

Program auto mode

Shutter speed priority mode

Aperture priority mode

Manual mode

Metering Light

Camera Metering Modes

Spot metering

Center-weighted metering

Scene metering

Exposure Compensation

Exposure Compensation versus Flash Compensation

Bracketing Your Exposures

Using the Histogram

Using the Clipping Information

File Formats

RAW

TIFF

JPEG

Chapter 2: Working with Light

Direction of Light

Front lighting

Back lighting

Overhead lighting

Side lighting

Intensity of Light

Color of Light

Color temperature

White balance

Daylight

Tungsten or incandescent light

Fluorescent light

Using a Flash

Fill light

Color gels

Chapter 3: Shutter Speed

Controlling the Shutter Speed

Camera controls

When Shutter Speed Is More Important Than Aperture

Freezing the Action

Superfast shutter speeds

Very fast shutter speeds

Fast shutter speeds

Normal shutter speeds

Slow shutter speeds

Very slow shutter speeds

Panning

Chapter 4: Aperture

Controlling the Aperture

Understanding f-stops

Camera controls

Program auto mode

Aperture priority mode

Manual mode

Depth of Field

Defining the depth of field

Controlling the depth of field

Shallow depth of field

Middle depth of field

Deep depth of field

Aperture versus Shutter Speed

Understanding Lens Limitations

Lens speeds

Diffraction

Variable and constant aperture lenses

Macro lenses, aperture, and depth of field

Chapter 5: ISO

Understanding ISO and Light Sensitivity

Digital Noise

High ISO Noise Reduction

Noise reduction through exposure

Noise reduction using software or camera settings

Using a Higher ISO

Chapter 6: Event Photography

Exposure Considerations

Shooting outdoors

Shooting inside

Checking the exposure

Concert Photography

The Right Equipment for the Job

Camera

Lenses

Accessories

Shooting Events

Shooting Tips

Chapter 7: Portrait Photography

Exposure Considerations

Aperture

Shutter speed

Considering Lighting and Location

Indoors

Outdoors

Portrait tones

Working with People

Children

Groups

The Right Equipment for the Job

Lenses

Lights

Other accessories

Shooting Portraits

Shooting Tips

Chapter 8: Landscape and Nature Photography

Exposure Considerations

When to shoot

Shoot in Aperture priority mode

Metering modes

Shooting snow

Checking the exposure

The Right Equipment for the Job

Lenses

Accessories

Macro Nature Photography

Panoramic Photography

Shooting Landscapes and Nature Photographs

Shooting Tips

Chapter 9: Night and Low-Light Photography

Exposure Considerations

Long shutter speeds

Wide open aperture

High ISO

The Right Equipment for the Job

Cameras and lenses

Accessories

Photographing Light Trails and Fireworks

Photographing Silhouettes

Sunrise and Sunset Photography

Shooting at Night and in Low Light

Shooting Tips

Chapter 10: Sports and Action Photography

Exposure Considerations

Shooting outside during the day

Shooting inside

Shooting outside at night

The Right Equipment for the Job

Cameras

Lenses

Accessories

Shooting Sports and Action Photographs

Get into position

Figure out which mode to use

Get good non-action action shots

Shooting Tips

Chapter 11: Wedding Photography

Exposure Considerations

The bride and groom

Shooting inside

Exposing for movement

Evaluating exposure

The Right Equipment for the Job

Camera bodies

Lenses

Dedicated flash

Accessories

Shooting a Wedding

Getting ready for the bride

Getting ready for the groom

The ceremony

The formal portraits

The reception

Shooting Tips

Chatper 12: Wildlife and Animal Photography

Exposure Consideration

Using Aperture priority mode

Picking the right metering mode

The Right Equipment for the Job

Cameras

Lenses

Accessories

Pet Photography

Shooting Wildlife and Animal Photographs

Shooting Tips

Chapter 13: Creative Exposure

Exposure Considerations

High exposure

Underexposure

Using Exposure to Create a Mood

Using ISO Noise Creatively

Appendix A: Software

Adobe Camera Raw

Photoshop

Library module

Develop module

Appendix B:How to Use the Gray Card and Color Checker

Exposure Digital Field Guide

Alan Hess

Exposure Digital Field Guide

Published by:Wiley Publishing, Inc.10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-53490-8

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Alan Hess is a San Diego based commercial photographer specializing in concert and event based photography, but has photographed everything from portraits to products. He is the author of two previous Digital Field Guides, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Digital Field Guide and the Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 Digital Field Guide.

His concert and backstage images have appeared in numerous online and print publications and have been used for promotional purposes and music packaging.

He is a member of the National Press Photographers Association and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and Nikon Professional Services.

Alan is a key contributor to the Lexar Pro Photographer Web site and has written articles on concert photography and technology. Alan has taught concert photography at Photoshop World and has taught photography, digital photography workflow using Adobe Bridge and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom at Essy’s Studio in San Diego.

Alan can be contacted through his Web site www.alanhessphotography.com where he writes a regular blog.

Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Courtney Allen

Technical Editor

Haje Jan Kamps

Senior Copy Editor

Kim Heusel

Editorial Director

Robyn Siesky

Editorial Manager

Cricket Krengel

Business Manager

Amy Knies

Senior Marketing Manager

Sandy Smith

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Richard Swadley

Vice President and Executive Publisher

Barry Pruett

Project Coordinator

Kristie Rees

Graphics and Production Specialists

Carrie A. Cesavice

Jennifer Henry

Andrea Hornberger

Jennifer Mayberry

Quality Control Technician

Laura Albert

Proofreading and Indexing

Cindy BallewTy Koontz

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my wife for her amazing patience as I wrote this book. I know that I am not the easiest person to get along with when facing deadlines.

I would like to thank my parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, and all the nephews and nieces for being the supporting family that everyone should be lucky enough to have.

Thanks to all my family and friends for allowing me to always be pointing a camera at you and letting me use the photos in this book.

Special thanks to Brian Ross, David Baron, and Maya at PR Photo — you all opened new doors and shooting opportunities for me, and I thank you.

My deepest gratitude to Courtney and Cricket for all their guidance; this is our third book together and I am glad for all your help. Thanks to Haje Jan Kamps and Kim Heusel for all their hard work as well.

For Nadra

Introduction

This Digital Field Guide is not camera specific or even brand specific, it is all about exposure, but what does that actually mean? Exposure is a very simple concept — allow the light sensitive sensor (film) to be exposed to the light that is reflected from the scene you want to capture. That’s the basics of taking a photograph. When you press the shutter release the camera opens the shutter and the light travels through the lens and is allowed to reach that sensor and you have a photograph.

As photographers you get to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor by controlling how long the shutter is open and how big a hole the light enters through. You also get to decide how much the signal from the sensor is amplified and it is those decisions that are the essence to taking photographs and getting a proper exposure.

I get a lot of questions about photography both through my blog at www.alanhessphotography.com and in person when out photographing. Most of the time the questions are about how I managed to capture a certain image or what settings I use for my photos. The answer is pretty simple: I use the best exposure settings for the situation.

In this book, I start by covering exactly what an exposure is and what controls you have to adjust it. It explains how your camera measures light and what each of the settings mean, as well as which of the metering modes works best for different situations. It also covers the exposure modes found on most cameras and when the best time to use them is.

Next up is all about light. Because photography is capturing light, it is important to understand the direction, color, and intensity of light in any scene. It is only after you can see and understand the light, that you can really go about capturing it. Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are also covered in detail. Each of these sections not only cover the controls you have at your disposal, but the pros and cons of each one.

After the generalities of shutter speed, aperture and light are covered, it is time to get a little more specific starting with event photography, which includes one of my favorite photographic subjects — concert photography. I also cover outdoor events, indoor events, and those that take place all day long. You will learn about the exposure considerations and what can be done to get the best images possible.

Next is all about shooting people, from individual to group portraits, from shooting outside to dealing with studio lights. How to deal with the exposure problems that arise when shooting portraits is covered along with the best ways to check your exposures are all covered here.

Shooting landscapes and nature is also covered — from the exposure considerations when shooting landscapes and nature photography to controlling the depth of field to make sure that the whole landscape is in focus and even what the best times to shoot landscapes are.

Low light and night photography is up next. By definition, low light and night photography deals with photography when there is minimal light. Photographing light trails and fire works as well as how to shoot those beautiful sunrises and sunsets are all covered, as well as a look at the best way to shoot a silhouette, a technique that will let you use silhouettes creatively from now on.

While you normally use long shutter speeds when photographing in lower light, when it comes to sports and action photography, the opposite is often true. You use very short shutter speeds to freeze the action. How fast of a shutter speed is needed and what are the consequences are covered in this chapter. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting your kids playing a soccer game or if you are on the sidelines of a high school, college, or professional football game, the basics are the same.

Everybody loves a wedding; it is a time of joy and happiness…unless you are photographing the event. Wedding photography can be a very stressful experience for a photographer, with only one chance to get it right. Weddings can also be a real challenge when it comes to getting proper exposures due to the traditional bright white dress and dark tuxedos. In this chapter I cover the problems and the solutions with shooting weddings that will hopefully help if you ever find yourself as the wedding photographer.

Wildlife and animal photography is another favorite to photograph. It can range from photographing pets to taking a trip to the local zoo or an animal park, but the skills you need to get great shots are the same.

Finally, you get a look at some creative exposure options — the different ways to achieve your artistic vision and some fun ways to experiment during the image creation.

Because this book is all about digital photography I also spend some time at the end covering some of the software options and a bit about what can be done in post processing to adjust your exposure. However, even with the advances in software and the amazing things that can be done on a computer these days, remember it is still best to get the exposure right in the camera first.

This Digital Field Guide includes a new feature; a gray card/color checker that can be removed and used to help you get true and accurate colors in your images.

One quick note: this book is made specifically to go with you. It isn’t some tabletop tome that can’t leave the house, its made to go in your camera bag, so dog ear the pages, use a highlighter to underline the parts that are important to you, but the main thing is for you to take the book with you, use it as a guide when out shooting. And, if you really love the book and don’t want to get it worn and torn, I have no problem with you buying two.

Chapter 1: Understanding Exposure

Photography is the art of capturing light. You use your camera’s lens to focus the light and the sensor to record the light, creating an exposure. As a photographer, your job is to decide how much light the sensor is allowed to record, how long the shutter is opened, and how big the opening is in the lens to let in light. You also get to decide how sensitive the sensor is to light. All these factors let you control the exposure. You need to understand the exposure modes and light metering to help get the proper exposures and how to use the histogram to check your exposures. Picking the right file type to store your image is also important because it can make a big difference if you need to adjust the exposure in post processing.